Coolio is one of the most well-known protagonists of West Coast rap. With "Gangsta's Paradise" he wrote one of the most successful rap hits of all time in 1995. Now the musician and actor dies at the age of 59.
The US rapper Coolio is dead. He died in Los Angeles at the age of 59, as announced by his manager Susan Heber. She did not initially provide information on the cause of death. Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., celebrated his biggest success in 1995 with the hit "Gangsta's Paradise".
As "TMZ" reports, Coolio died at the house of a friend he was visiting. He went to the toilet and when he didn't come out after a while, the friend checked on him and found him lying on the floor, they said. The paramedics, who pronounced him dead, assumed cardiac arrest, but the investigation was ongoing. The investigators did not find any drugs or drug paraphernalia on site, TMZ continues. An autopsy should clarify the exact cause of death.
Coolio had made a name for himself on the Los Angeles rap scene since the early 1980s, alongside other later hip-hop legends such as Dr. Dre and 2Pac. His first solo album "It takes a thief" was already a great success in the USA. In 1995 he released "Gangsta's Paradise", initially on the soundtrack of "Dangerous Minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer. The track would become one of the most successful rap songs of all time.
Coolio later had several appearances as an actor in films and series as well as in TV shows. Also in Germany, where he took third place in 2004 in the ProSieben show "Comeback - The Great Chance".
(This article was first published on Thursday, September 29, 2022.)
